HOOVER, Ala.—For two years, Will Muschamp has avoided directly addressing the elephant in the room. What better place to drastically switch course and make a statement than the circus that is SEC Media Days?

After years of saying what’s politically correct in addressing the mess he was left by former Gators and current Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, Muschamp let loose when responding to Meyer twice turning in Florida assistant coaches to the NCAA for alleged recruiting violations.

Will Muschamp hasn't said much about Urban Meyer's effect on the Florida program—until now. (AP photo)

“We appreciate our friends from Ohio educating us on NCAA rules,” Muschamp said in a parlor room before addressing the main ballroom at Media Days. “They certainly know a thing or two about it.”

Ohio State was unbeaten last year in Meyer’s first season after he left Florida in 2010 but was on NCAA probation and couldn’t play for the Big Ten or national championship.

Both the SEC and NCAA investigated Meyer’s claims—one alleged Gators assistant Brian White "bumping" into a recruit during a non-contact period—and found no wrongdoing.

Meyer never admitted to turning in Florida, stating that the Ohio State NCAA compliance department made the decision and that he only knew about it after the fact.

Muschamp has avoided directly addressing Meyer and his impact on the current Florida team, saying numerous times that it’s his job “to win games no matter the circumstances.”

The closest he has come to addressing the mess left by Meyer was his statement after his first season in Gainesville when the Gators were 7-6—one win better than Meyer’s last season: “We’re 15-11 over the last two years.”

Tuesday at SEC Media Days, he even took a page from Michigan coach Brady Hoke, derisively calling Ohio State "Ohio" when saying "In both (alleged NCAA) situations, we were turned in by Ohio."

Later in the main ballroom, Muschamp was asked about player behavior in college football. One criticism of Meyer was his hands-off approach to discipline, something former players outlined to Sporting News last year.

"You can’t expect a coach to know where all 125 players are all the time," Muschamp said. "But you also can’t stick your head in the sand and think everything is OK. You're 100 percent responsible."